Skid and lift truck means for handling materials



'Ja'n..l2, 1932. K 1,840,971 SKID AND LIFT TRUCK MEANS FOR HANDLINGMATERIALS Filed Grit. 24, 1950 7 7 1 7 g? l J L 4 5. Q 3 4L 7 L 5' 6 7 3r," 4 I 6- Z H yfiH 1 1 111 311 nd: r .194

o i I 1/ INVENTOR, cidmo/ M M WVW ATTORNEYS.

"Patented Jan. 12,1932

* w UNITED STATES EDWARD B. POLK, 01' 8A0, CALIFORNIA SKID AID TRUCK was103 HANDLING ILQEBIAIIB A Application fled October 84, 1880. Serial Io.90,813.

My invention relates to the art of handling materials b skid andlift-truck means; an art which in practice has been extensively appliedin connection with the storing, shipping, and otherdisposal andconvenient use of avariety of manufactured suppliesespecially in andabout railroad shops.

In this art the essential factors involve the initial placing of thearticles upon a raised 10 platform, commonly known as a skid, and vthenintroducing under the loaded skid a truck adapted to lift .it from its'tion of rest and transport it to and leave it at its destination. i l5It is evident that in order to carry out such practice one featuremuatbe present under all conditions andcircumstances, namely, that theskid -must, in its pomtion of rest while being loaded, .be to asufiicient :0 height to enable the lift-truck jack-extension to be runin under it. As far as I am aware this necessi has hitherto been met byproviding the 'd with legs or bottom projections of some kind which area permanent part of the skid. Whatever form these leg supports mayassume they detract from the space in which the skids may be packed instoring or shipping and are thus '.not economical. A Furthermore, suchskids are commonly used for the temporary storage of materials, and alsofor the trans rtation thereof in railway cars or other ve 'cles, theobject be-:

ing to reduce storage and transportation costs by minimizing handling.Such uses, however, require great numbers of skids, with consequentlylarge capital investment, the number required depending not only uponthe amount of material, but also upon the i length of time it remains instorage or transit,

Moreover, when the skids are empty, and especiall when being returnedempty in cars orfvehic es, the occupy considerable space, on account oft eir legs. 11', is the object of my invention to efiect s greatereconomy by reducing the capital investment required for a given numberof skids, and by conserving the packing, storing and shipping space; andto this end my F invention comprises a leglcss skid in associaplatformor body tion with spaced supporting members or rails either fixed ormovable, but independent 0 the skid, and of dimensions adapted to raiseit sufliciently for the introduction beneath it of the lift-truckextension. Capital investment is reduced because my flat skids and theirindependent supporting rails can be built at much-less cost than thosehaving permanent legs, and further because it is unnecessary to supplysupports for all] skids, a certain proportion thereof being always in'transit'. Space is saved because the flat skids, whether loaded or emty, can be placed directly upon the floor o a .car or other vehicle, or,when empty, can be stacked on edge in otherwise unused spaces.

When the storage'of material is in permanent locations, the supportingrails can be fixed to the ground or floor, and can be cheaplyconstructed, preferably of timber. However, said rails can be movable,if de- I sired, thus providing flexibility (practically equal to that ofthe commonl ,use leg skids.- Both these developments of t e inventionare ilh strated and described herein in their preferred forms, thou h itmust be understood that changes may made without. departing from thespirit of the invention as defined by the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawingsi Fig. -1 is a perspective view showing twoof my skidsresting upon fixed rails.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the skid.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation showing the I skids resting upon movablesupporting rails. v

' Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the form of movable su port shown at theleft of Fig. 3, adapted to hold a single rail.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the form of movable support shown at theright of Fig. 3, ada ted to hold two parallel rails.

e reference numeral 1 designates my skid, which comprises asubstantially fiat portion, upon which the material to be stored ortransported maybe piled. The skid is preferably, though not necessarily,made of mortised wooden strips 2, Figs. 1 and 2, whose ends are confinedbetween reinforcingstrips 3 and 4 held together by bolts 5. The strips 3on the top of the deposited,

havingfeet 10 and 10 skid serve as retaining flanges to prevent thepiled material; (not shown) from sliding oil, and the strips 4 on thebottom serve as bearing flanges on which the skid rests. The sk1d isreversible, either side being the top. 6 in Fig. 1 are rails spacedapart a distance substantially equal to the spanning capacity of theskid which rests upon them. These rails, which are preferably formed ofwooden timbers, with separate wearing faces 7, are fixed in place, asfor example by angle brackets 8, and have a height adapted to raise theskid sufiiciently to permit the lift extension of the usual transportingtruck,

unnecessary herein to show, to pass in under the loaded skid; and uponoperating'its elevating jacks, to lift the skid from the rails and carryit off to a destination, which may be another roup of rails upon whichit is or temporary convenience or storing purposes;-or the skid may bedirectly lifted from the truck and deposited in cars for shipping. Inpractice the supporting. rails 6 may be a group more or less extensiveada ted for a number of skids, as is indicated in 1g. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates a type of supporting rail structure having the samefunction as that of Fig. 1, but adapted to be moved from place to placeas circumstances of loading or storing may demand. 9 and 9' aresupporting stands suitablyspreadtoinsure stability, andbrackets 11 and11' adapted to hold either one or two rails 12 respectively. The rails12 may be of any suitable nature, such as scra railway rails, as shown.The stands 9 an 9' are placed upon the ground or floorin the properrelative positions, and

plurality of independent legless skids contiguously freely assembled inan elevated horizontal plane; a plurality of ralls upon which theassembled skids freely rest; a. plurality of stands for supporting saidrails in elevated position; single brackets on the stands carrying therails which support the skid assemblage along its outer sides; anddouble brackets on the stands carrying the rails which support the skidassemblage intervening its outer sides.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

EDWARD H. POLK.

. the rails 12 laid in the brackets 11 and 11g.

the whole forming a pair or group of parallel supports upon which theskids 1 may be placed, in the same manner as upon the fixed rails 6 ofFig. 1f

Where but one line of skids, i. e. two rails, is required, the standsmay be of the form shown at 9 inFigs. 3 and 4, in which a single pleceof flat iron is bent at its upper end to form the U-shaped bracket 11,and at its lower end to form one of the feet 10, the other feet beingformed by a second piece-13 welded or otherwise secured at 14 to theupright port10n of the first piece. If a plurality of pairs of rails arerequired, the single stands 9 may be used for the outside rails, but theinner rails, arranged in m Fig. 3, are preferably supported upon standsof the form shown at 9' in Figs. 3 and 4, 1n whlch a double U-shapedbracket 11' is welded or otherwise secured as at 15, to the apex of aninverted V-shaped standard of flat iron whose lower ends are benthorizonllzzsl ly in opposite directions to form the feet Whether thesupportingrails are permanently fixed 1n position, as in Fig. 1, or

pairs as shown at the right I

